St. Landry democrat., 1887-11-12
THE PROPERTY OOM.
A THEATRICAL SEPULCH RE AND
WHAT IT CONTAINS.
How the Ingenuity of Man Has Been Able
to Mimic Life-The Way in Which Vari-
Gus Startling Effects Are Produced-Re
ality Coming to the Front Rapidly.
lCOpUrtQAted, lN.l


by a three-legged stool; the figure Of a
proud god, whose presence shed lustre
on the perspective of "pleached alley"
is degraded by the oppression of a big
old candlestick that hangs across his
breast; the sOft-toned mandolin (the fell
low in the orchestra was making the
music, whose notes, as they waited into
life under the gentle touch of the fair
PLAYER, wOOed back her recreant lover,
hangs on the wall a veritable fake"
1t never had any strings, nor had
its companion, the craZy-lOOking
violin. With dented sides and lone
some looks, vessels of golden hue are
piled in one corner beside a lot of rag
carpet. Here is a stack of muskets, not
one of which was fired in a century, if
appearances 90 for anything; there is an
ink-wcll that never was Glackened with
writing fluid, and pen used to sign
that had its point blunted in inditing
signatures that never showed on paper :;
there are huge ledgers and pretentiously
sealed packages, with never line in
them. All about in shabby disillusion
is seen the mechanical mimicry of the
objects Of real life.
The property-man is an artist in his
way and in these days of stage realism
the author himself. Gone are the times
when table and few chairs we're all he
had to set in scene. This age de-
mands that he be skilled mechanic, able
to manipulate the stage substitute for
wood and minerals, papier mache, so that
his talent will produce anything from a
trawberrv to an armored knight or the
skull used in the grave-diggers scene in
Hamlet" AS result his worth to the
stage has been elevated; and when he
reaches such attitudes of success as those
of his kind whose works have been seen
in the American Opera Company's pos
session, his salary climbs up into high
priced figures. Though he borrows house
hold effects and commonplace things that
can be readily obtained, he manufactures
much. In the banquet scene of
Macbeth which is often represented
with fully 100 persons before the audi
ence, the shining tankards, brilliant
cups, luscious looking aggregations of
fruits, even the fowl, are made Of this
unique paper. Who has ever gazed on
the immense cannons, the life-like horses
the warlike acCoutrements in the battle
scene of Henry V" and was not i'm.
pressed with their faithfulness to the
real? Yet the admiring spectator would
laugh himself tired if he saw the prop
erty' boy pick up horse with one
hand, put cannon under his opposite
arm and walk off complacently after the
curtain went down.
The hankering of the property
after imitation has originated many in
teresting effects by novel methods. Sew
eral times in the American drama, HELD
by the Enemy" there is occasion to feig1
the sound of horses hoofs moving
rapidly on hard road, as if the ANNA
was CARRYING his rider at a deep gallop
This noise is counterfeited by paten
wooden clapper, slapped on marble
slab covered with piece of rubber The
operator, using both hands, can moderate
as he chooses the steps of the supposed
horse, from apparently a long dis
lance to Just outside the scene, with
startling vividness. The ingenuity of the
"property- man" comes to the front
again in drinking and eating scenes
when the manager of the theatre
has to furnish the viands. AS substi
tute for tea, wine, whiskey or brandy, he
serves to the actors water colored with 6
piece of toasted bread to suit the shade
of the desired liquid and then strained
This, by the way, is not device of mod
ern times 1t comes from the days Of
Shakespeare, according to stage tradition
Sometimes ginger ale, cider or tea is
used, but these are not favored generally
because they will not suit all tastes. TIC
one actor the ale is too pungent, tc
another the cider is sour, while third
may not be able to take tea without milk
which, of course, could not be used
without impairing the color of the drink
f So toast-water has been accepted as the
regular thing agreeable to every palate
There are managers of companies and
stars who will have the genuine article
itself, and in that case provide it at their
own expense Clara Morris and Fanny
Davenport do this. When Emma Abbott
sings "Girot1e- Girofa" she has bottle of
Mumms extra dry to uncork as she be-
gins the gem of the opera, "See How it
Sparkles." rip Van Winkle' Jefferson
swallows whiskey straight when he
Smiles" to the health of the other char
acters at the end of the comedy and re-
marks, "This one don't count" In the
memorable representation of Gold
smiths "She Stops to Conquer" years
ago, John Gilbert, Lester Wallack and
Harry Montague were in the cast. They
used in the taproom scene an English
tankard filled with Bass ale.
Occasionally stage realism asserts
itself and DEGREES that only legitimate &C.
cessories shall be used in the portrayal.
Then it is this especial piece of bust
ness" becomes feature of the play, as
in Hearts of Oak" four years age, where a
party of eight sat down to New England
dinner of meat, pies, coffee and rolls.
The component parts of the meal were
served in view of the audience, piping
hot, and were eaten by the acto and
actresses around the table. Perhaps the
most costly stage repast when done cor
rectly is the breakfast in Camille"
hot no rivoc tn